Bruce Wayne
"I am the reason criminals breathe easier when the sun rises. For the first time, criminals in Gotham have something to fear." -Bruce, in conversation with Alfred Pennyworth. Bruce Thomas Wayne (February 15th, 1994-) is an American businessman and socialite. By day he is known as the billionaire CEO of Wayne Enterprises and by night, he is known only as The Batman, the hero of Gotham City. Born as the only child of Thomas and Martha Wayne; Bruce was blessed with a loving and idyllic childhood. His moralistic and philanthropic parents instilled in him a strong sense of justice. After their violent murder at the hands of a mugger: Bruce made a solemn vow to battle the criminal element that took their lives. Leaving Gotham at the age of eighteen, Bruce would travel the world extensively in order to achieve mental and physical perfection. Coming back at the age of twenty five, Bruce Wayne crafted the persona of... The Batman. Origin Childhood (1994-2002) Bruce Wayne was born at Gotham General Hospital to Martha and Thomas Wayne; two of Gotham's most beloved. While somewhat sheltered, Bruce as a child was always full of joy, often enjoying time spent in the garden with Thomas Elliot and Silver Saint Cloud, of particular note was his father and his butler, Alfred Pennyworth who dressed as his favorite hero; Zorro to act out fights for his birthdays every year. His childhood was short and ended not long after his eighth birthday, after seeing a movie with his parents and demanding to leave after becoming scared, the Wayne's would meet the man who would ruin their lives and change Bruce's forever. The sight of broken pearls and the running, warm blood of his parents across that alleyway changed him that night and left him broken. He was found nearly an entire hour later by police who had finally been notified of the crime, the young cop who arrived first, Jim Gordon had to pull the young boy from their bodies after finding him laying beside them sobbing. Due to his family's butler taking the night off, Alfred Pennyworth became his legal guardian and protector, collecting him the police department and later helping him through their funeral service. Despite this tragedy, Bruce slowly recovered as he reconnected with his old friends through whom he met the one woman to first capture his heart; Andrea Beaumont. Something Darker (2002-2010) As the scion of Gotham's most well known family, Bruce's parents in death had earned a reputation unlike no other and as such, it became hard for the young man to distinguish himself from the parents whom he had never known. Thomas and Martha Wayne were philanthropists, good intentioned people who had wanted to see the city prosper through well meaning acts of charity. However, with their deaths, the idealism of the city, which had struggled with it's very foundations for a long time, was shattered. Gotham City had always been a dangerous city, constantly ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the world, only rivaling that of Star City. Good intentioned men often fell to corruption in order to survive in a city that constantly beat hope and idealism down. What could have been, the peaceful and resolute city that Thomas and Martha Wayne had wanted had been abandoned. Martha's urban youth centers had been abandoned under the pretext that crime in areas such as The East End was beginning to flourish. Thomas's clinics in other areas such as The Narrows would close down as well, despite initially staying open for at least a year after his death as a way to honor him: Crime began to flourish and after an incident that killed several workers there, Wayne Enterprises decided to shut them down as well. Alfred Pennyworth had taken legal custody of Bruce following the death of his parents, a condition that existed in Thomas and Martha's will as Alfred had been an old friend of Thomas's from his time in the military. Alfred was also granted control over the Wayne Estate and it's related holdings, which included the primary ownership and shareholder position in Wayne Enterprises until Bruce turned eighteen. The Journey (2012-2018) With what money had been allowed to him on his eighteenth birthday, Bruce chose to travel the world, leaving behind Andrea, Gotham and his old life altogether to seek out someone who would train him to channel his anger and rage into something else. He begun in Tibet, gaining the attention of infamous international assassin, David Cain after observing him participating in a gauntlet tournament, although he lost, Cain saw promise in him and chose to take him before Ra's Al Ghul as a potential recruit. Bruce trained with the league for the next six years, in the process of rising through the ranks he found himself romantically involved with Ra's' daughter, Talia Al Ghul. His time with the league ended shortly after he was tasked with eliminating a target, unwilling to kill he chose to leave it behind and return home, believing himself ready to restore his city. Category:Characters Category:Heroes Category:Gothamite Category:Batfamily